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How to Watch NBA Finals for Free

Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images

The Golden State Warriors and their championship pedigree face the Boston Celtics and their cast of rising stars in a highly-anticipated best-of-seven NBA Finals series that gets underway on Thursday, June 2nd.

All the games will be televised on ABC. But if you don’t have cable, here are some different ways you can watch a live stream of every game of the 2022 NBA Finals online:

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FuboTV

You can watch a live stream of ABC and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:

FuboTV Free Trial

Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the 2022 NBA Finals live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.

You can also watch games live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. Games on ABC (labeled as ESPN3) only require you to sign in to a participating internet service provider (not a cable provider), but if you don’t have that, you can use your Fubo credentials to log in and watch.


DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ABC is included in every one, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:

DirecTV Stream Free Trial

Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch the 2022 NBA Finals live on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.

You can also watch games live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. Games on ABC (labeled as ESPN3) only require you to sign in to a participating internet service provider (not a cable provider), but if you don’t have that, you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials (may still be listed as AT&T on the list of cable providers) to log in and watch.


Sling TV

You can watch a live stream of ESPN3 (which simulcasts games on ABC) and 30-plus other live TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with all the channels needed for the NBA Finals, and you can get $10 off your first month:

Get Sling TV

Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the 2022 NBA Finals live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.

You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. Games on ABC (labeled as ESPN3) only require you to sign in to a participating internet service provider (not a cable provider), but if you don’t have that, you can use your Sling credentials to log in and watch.


Vidgo

You can watch a live stream of ABC and 90+ other TV channels on Vidgo. This option doesn’t include a free trial:

Get Vidgo

Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch the 2022 NBA Finals live on the Vidgo app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Vidgo website.

You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. Games on ABC (labeled as ESPN3) only require you to sign in to a participating internet service provider (not a cable provider), but if you don’t have that, you can use your Vidgo credentials to log in and watch.


NBA Finals 2022 Preview

The Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors will be making their sixth appearance in the NBA Finals in eight seasons when they take on the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics, who are back in the finals for the first time since 2010.

The Warriors have a major advantage in postseason experience, with the core trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green having been a part of the teams that made five straight NBA Finals appearances from 2015-19.

“I can’t say that I thought coming into this season, like, ‘Yo, we’re going to win a championship,’ or, ‘We’re going to be in the NBA Finals,’ ” Green said. “But I always believed with us three that we have a chance.”

While Curry, Thompson and Green will be looking to bring home their fourth NBA title, Jayson Tatum and his Celtics teammates will be in quest of their first. Led by first-year head coach Ime Udoka, this will be the first appearance on the big stage of the NBA Finals for each of the Celtics players.

“We know we’re going up against a great team with the Warriors. Great players, great organization,” Celtics guard Marcus Smart said. “They have the track record to prove it. They know exactly what it takes. They’ve been here. They’re vets. We know we’ve got a long road in front of us, but we’re up for the challenge.”

The Warriors arrive back at the finals after a two-year hiatus with wins over the Nuggets (4-1), Grizzlies (4-2) and Mavericks (4-1) in the Western Conference playoffs. Curry is leading the team in scoring this postseason with 25.9 points per game.

The Celtics swept the Nets in the first round (4-0) and then toughed out two seven-game series over the defending champion Bucks (4-3) and top-seeded Heat (4-3). Tatum, one of the game’s brightest rising stars, leads the team in scoring in the playoffs with 27.0 points per game.

These two teams met in the Finals back in 1964 with the Celtics beating the (then) San Francisco Warriors in five games (4-1).

Here’s a look at the tale of the tape heading into the best-of-seven series that will decide the 2021-22 NBA champion:

No. 2 Boston Celtics

  • 51-31, finished first in the Atlantic Division
  • Road to the NBA Finals:
    • First Round: Swept the Brooklyn Nets, 4-0
    • Conference Semis: Defeated the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, 4-3
    • Conference Finals: Outlasted the Miami Heat, 4-3
  • Forward Jayson Tatum leads the Celtics in scoring with 27.0 points per game in 18 contests played
  • Guard Jaylen Brown is averaging 22.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in the playoffs
  • Guard Marcus Smart is averaging 15.5 points, 6.2 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game in the postseason
  • Center Al Horford is averaging 11.9 points and a team-best 9.6 rebounds per game in the playoffs

No. 3 Golden State Warriors

  • 53-29, finished second in the Pacific Division
  • Road to the NBA Finals:
    • First Round: Beat the Denver Nuggets, 4-1
    • Conference Semis: Outlasted the Memphis Grizzlies, 4-2
    • Conference Finals: Defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 4-1
  • Guard Stephen Curry leads the Warriors in scoring this postseason with 25.9 points per game in 16 contests played
  • Guard Klay Thompson is averaging 19.8 points per game in the playoffs
  • Guard Jordan Poole is averaging 18.4 points per game this postseason
  • Forward Andrew Wiggins is putting up 15.8 points and grabbing 7.0 rebounds per game in the playoffs

Celtics vs Warriors NBA Finals Schedule

    • Game 1: Celtics at Warriors, Thursday, June 2 (9 p.m. ET, ABC)
    • Game 2: Celtics at Warriors, Sunday, June 5 (8 p.m. ET, ABC)
    • Game 3: Warriors at Celtics, Wednesday, June 8 (9 p.m. ET, ABC)
    • Game 4: Warriors at Celtics, Friday, June 10 (9 p.m. ET, ABC)
    • Game 5: Celtics at Warriors, Monday, June 13 (9 p.m. ET, ABC) *if necessary
    • Game 6: Warriors at Celtics, Thursday, June 16 (9 p.m. ET, ABC) *if necessary
    • Game 7: Celtics at Warriors, Sunday, June 18 (8 p.m. ET, ABC) *if necessary